Why Do Record Companies Continue To Rob Artists Of Money?

[isiahthomas]

I keep hearing complaints from rappers about they don't get paid by their labels. Only time they get paid is when they do concerts & sometimes they don't get that money. What is going on? Michael Jackson made comments about Sony records is racist & he didn't see any money from his Invincible cd. It's obvious that record labels only care about themselves. They don't care about the hard work that these artists put in for them. All they care about is how much money they're gonna get off the artist. This has been happening since music was invented. A lot of artists today are making wack music cause that's what sells. Whatever happened to the type of music that artists made from their heart instead of making the kind of music that sells? Can somebody explain to me how artists get paid?

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by isiahthomas
Michael Jackson made comments about Sony records is racist & he didn't see any money from his Invincible cd.

well, that was all a bad publicity stunt that backfired. Sony is the home of Beyonce, one of the biggest black artists in the world. MJ doesn't like to take blame, it was his fault Invincible sucked, but he'd rather blame the label for why it only sold 2 million copies instead of accepting the fact that it's not 1984 anymore and the people who used to buy his albums immediately in the 80's now have car payments and children to tend to and don't buy music as much as they once did... and heard nothing off Invincible to give them a reason to purchase it.

[isiahthomas]

BuffySlayer79 good point. Michael must still think it's 1984 & not 2004. The music he was making back then isn't gonna sell today. Some old artists don't know when to give it up. Lionel Richie has out a new cd which i'm sure it's not gonna sell like his music did in the past. Prince's new cd i don't think is gonna sell either. Prince is trying to reinvent himself by making new songs different than the ones he did in the 80's but it isn't gonna work. My aunt & uncle saw him in concert in Cleveland & my aunt was pissed cause she said he didn't perform any of his old songs. He performed all new songs & she said she didn't like the new songs he performed. It doesn't matter to these record execs what a artist did in the past & how successful they were in the past. If u aren't making the record company any money, that's all they care about. Michael Jackson is pissed at Sony records i think because he feels like he made them so much money back in the day & now he feels like he's nothin to them. Michael can't have that type of attitude about the amount of money he made for Sony back then cause it's all about what can u do for them now. I remember hearing about Marvin Gaye jumped over a desk at Berry Gordy when Marvin was on Motown cause he demanded to know where was his money that he felt like Berry was withholding from him.

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by isiahthomas
Prince's new cd i don't think is gonna sell either. Prince is trying to reinvent himself by making new songs different than the ones he did in the 80's but it isn't gonna work.

actually, Musicology is Prince's most successful album hands down since Diamonds And Pearls, it's still in the top 10 after 2 months, especially impressive considering there really isn't a hit single to push the album, MTV/VH1/BET played the title track for a little bit but the song didn't catch on like anything from the 80's or early 90's, but people keep buying the album, he's already outsold the most recent Janet, Madonna, Mariah and Whitney albums, and before too long will probably close in on what the most recent studio albums by Celine and Michael have sold. It's probably the biggest comeback of 2004.

[USTVFanFromUK]

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
actually, Musicology is Prince's most successful album hands down since Diamonds And Pearls, it's still in the top 10 after 2 months, especially impressive considering there really isn't a hit single to push the album, MTV/VH1/BET played the title track for a little bit but the song didn't catch on like anything from the 80's or early 90's, but people keep buying the album, he's already outsold the most recent Janet, Madonna, Mariah and Whitney albums, and before too long will probably close in on what the most recent studio albums by Celine and Michael have sold. It's probably the biggest comeback of 2004.

But part of the reason it's selling so well is because he's giving away a free copy of the album with every ticket to his show. IMO that is an unfair pratice since no one actually bought the album. It's probably worse than Mariah selling her singles for .49 cents.

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by isiahthomas
Prince's new cd i don't think is gonna sell either. Prince is trying to reinvent himself by making new songs different than the ones he did in the 80's but it isn't gonna work.

I don't see how it's not working. The tour has been selling out everywhere, he made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time in 14 years, and except for one week, the album has been in the top ten since it was released. And why would you suggest in the same post that 1984 Michael Jackson wouldn't sell today but Prince shouldn't change from what he was doing in the 80's? That's sort of contradictory. Prince's whole career has been about doing different things, so if he's, as you say "trying to reinvent himself", that's nothing new, and he's already had success doing it. Anyway, name one artist from the 80's who isn't making songs now different from what they did back then.

Originally posted by USTVFanFromUK
But part of the reason it's selling so well is because he's giving away a free copy of the album with every ticket to his show. IMO that is an unfair pratice since no one actually bought the album. It's probably worse than Mariah selling her singles for .49 cents.

What's worse than that is the history of record labels not adequately compensating the creative forces behind the music they allegedly promote. Talking about an unfair practice, record labels have been involved in unfair practices for years. Why am I still waiting for a second album from Dionne Farris or Rachid (artists that people probably have forgotten about or never heard of) but someone gives William Hung a record deal? The labels only care about making money, not nurturing artists who deserve it. If giving away cds maintains Prince's position in the charts, that makes him a very smart man, and more power to him. All Prince is doing is promoting himself better than any record label could. At least he's the main one making money off his music. By the way, Billboard has stated that the first six weeks it was on the charts, Musicology still would have been in the top 20, even without the concert giveaway.